Means, Motive And Opportunity
by saragillie
Summary: A fluffy two-chapter story about our favorite couple.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Here's a fluffy little two chapter story for you. I hope you'll find it a nice change from the angst I've been posting lately. I am still intending to add more chapters to Through A Glass Darkly, just as soon as I have some more good ideas. As usual, thanks to redrider6612 for her editing. Enjoy.**

Angela Montenegro, forensic artist for the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Laboratory, practically danced into the office of her best friend, the world-renowned forensic anthropologist and best-selling author Dr. Temperance Brennan.

"I have a new theory," Angela announced with a smile that practically stretched off her face.

"Uh huh," her friend replied, not really listening.

"Sweetie, please stop what you're doing."

"Give me a sec to finish this up, Ange."

The artist sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. Sometimes Brennan was too focused on her work. 'Maybe this time she'll finally get the message,' she thought hopefully as she waited impatiently.

Two minutes later, Brennan finally looked up. "Okay. What was it you wanted?"

"I have a new theory."

"About how our latest victim died?" the anthropologist asked.

"No, about you and Booth."

At that moment, Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI sauntered into the anthropologist's office.

"Chop, chop, Bones. We have a case," he said, ignoring Angela.

"Just a second, Booth, I really want to hear what Angela has to say. Your timing is great. She was just telling me she has a theory about us."

Intrigued, Booth dropped onto the couch and looked at Angela expectantly. 'I couldn't have planned this better if I tried! Both of them at the same time and place.'

"What are the three things necessary before someone can be arrested for a crime?" the artist asked.

"Means, motive, and opportunity," the partners recited in unison.

"Uh huh. And you've had all three of those plenty of times, so you two must have done the dirty deed!"

'I should have known it would be something like this,' Booth thought, suppressing a sigh. 'She's like a dog with her favorite bone.'

"I don't know what that means," Brennan said.

Angela looked at Booth for help. He smirked. "You started this. This one is all yours."

"The horizontal mambo?" Angela ventured.

At her friend's blank stare, she continued, "It means that you two jumped each other."

"Do those phrases imply that Booth and I have had sexual intercourse?"

"Yes!"

Brennan and Booth shared a glance and then burst into laughter. A while back they had decided that the only way to deal with Angela's less than subtle matchmaking was to laugh it off.

Their friend glanced between them and frowned, unable to figure out what was so funny.

"We're nothing more than partners and friends, Ange," Brennan replied as she got her laughter under control.

At Angela's doubtful expression, Booth explained, "Look. If someone didn't have means, motive and opportunity, they couldn't have done it. But having the three doesn't necessarily mean that they did."

"Yeah. I didn't kill Kirby, but I had all three," Brennan added. "That makes someone a good suspect, but more evidence is needed to obtain a conviction."

"You need more evidence?" Angela demanded. "You two spend more time together than any couple I know and have enough sexual chemistry to power a nuclear warhead. How about him dropping everything to fly to New Orleans when you call? Or you getting over your anger with your Dad long enough to rescue him from Gallagher? Or the fact that neither of you can stop thinking about your mistletoe kiss?"

The partners stared at their friend in stunned surprise. She smirked at them. "Caroline walked past me on her way out. I just had to ask about the odd expression on her face."

"I'll grant you the evidence, but you've jumped to the wrong conclusion," Booth replied.

Her moment of elation at being right was quickly followed by confusion. The wrong conclusion? She tried her best to get him to elaborate, but none of her techniques worked.

Finally, in complete frustration, she said, "Everybody can tell you haven't, you know. If you had, the tension would be gone and you'd both be very, very satisfied. Just get it over with already and put us all out of our misery. Half the time after you leave, I need a good make-out session with Jack to…"

"Too much information, Angela," the agent said.

"If you knew we hadn't, then why did you come in here accusing us of doing exactly that?" Brennan asked.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Somebody has to get you two thinking in the right direction!"

Then she made a grand exit, loudly pulling the door closed behind her.

Booth turned to see an expectant expression on his partner's face.

"What exactly is it evidence of, Booth?" she asked.

Knowing he would never get a better opportunity than this, he took a deep breath, screwed up his courage, and answered, "It's proof that we love each other."

She looked at him for a moment. "Of course we love each other. You're like family to me."

"Yes, but we're more than that."

"I know. We have been for a while, but I'm not really sure that I'm ready…"

She had changed a lot since she'd met him, but years of fear couldn't be conquered in a single moment. She'd never had a relationship like this before and she didn't want to mess it up. Things were slowly changing between them and it seemed best just to let them continue to progress.

"I know. I wouldn't have brought it up if you hadn't asked or Angela hadn't been meddling."

He really wished the woman would leave well enough alone. He was perfectly capable of managing a relationship, and his relationship with Bones was proceeding nicely, albeit slowly, in the right direction. He was willing and able to delay his own physical needs to achieve the emotional intimacy with her that had become as natural and necessary to him as breathing.

Suddenly she felt unsure. "I… you'll…"

"I'm not going anywhere, Bones."

The certainty in his tone warmed her. He was one of the few people she could count on, and she treasured that above everything.

"She's right, you know, I can't stop thinking about our kiss," Brennan said tentatively.

He smiled. He wasn't sure if he should strangle Caroline for interfering or hug her because he'd finally had an acceptable reason to kiss his partner, one that hadn't landed him flat on his back.

Then she frowned. "How is it that she's always right about these things?"

He laughed. "She's your best friend and she's perceptive."

Her approach had been very creative and it had gotten his attention. He had means, motive and opportunity at this moment. Maybe he should use those to inch another step forward.

He pulled out of his thoughts to find her watching him. His eyes caught hers and held. When she looked at him like that, he felt like she was the only person in the world and he never wanted the feeling to go away.

"Come here, Bones," he invited a little breathlessly, patting the spot next to him.

Puzzled, she tilted her head, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. He gestured to the file he'd dropped on her table.

Her expression cleared and she immediately joined him on the couch. He opened the file and placed it on his lap, then, scooted closer and placed his arm on the cushion behind her, allowing his hand to rest lightly on her shoulder. When she leaned into him to get a better look at the file, his eyes fluttered closed and he enjoyed the simple pleasure of inhaling her scent. He couldn't prevent the shiver that shook him as she moved and created a bit of friction between them.

She looked up and realized that their faces where extremely close together. Even as her brain sent messages to her body to move away, her breath quickened. He smiled softly at her, dropped a kiss on her forehead and stood, diffusing the tension. She wasn't ready and he respected and loved her too much to screw things up.

Offering her a hand up, he said, "Let's get this show on the road. We've got remains that need to be examined."

Off and on throughout the rest of the day, he caught her giving him measured glances and he wondered what she was thinking. For her part, she had always found him attractive, but lately there was something irresistible about him and her eyes were drawn to him like a moth to a flame.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I am so sorry. I meant to post this 4 or 5 days ago and forgot. Please forgive me. As always thanks belong to my brilliant editor, redrider6612.**

She'd been doing it for weeks and it was driving him crazy – examining him like he was one of the skeletons on her table. At first it had been flattering and he'd enjoyed the scrutiny. But apparently, he was harder to figure out than identity and cause of death so she'd kept at it. Now he just wanted her to finish her examination and come to a conclusion. She was severely testing his self-control and she didn't even know it.

Her voice pulled him from his reverie. "Female, Caucasoid features, late twenties or early thirties. Initial examination indicates she's been here for about a week. Hodgins should be able to narrow down the timeframe. Recent rains and animal activity partially exposed the shallow grave."

She continued her examination of the parts of the body that were visible. Then she opened her bag and removed the tools necessary to uncover the rest of the body.

Hours later she had a preliminary cause of death and the remains were prepped for transport to the Jeffersonian. She stood, took a deep breath, and rolled her head back, trying to work the kinks out of her neck and shoulders.

"It'll be about an hour before it makes it to Jeffersonian, right, Bones?" She nodded, so he continued. "It's a gorgeous day and this is a great park. Let's take a short walk. It'll help you relax a bit."

She considered his words for a moment and then headed toward the tree line a few feet away. As he followed her, he couldn't help but notice how good she looked, fresh and lovely in spite of the hours of hard work.

They strolled through the trees in silence for a few minutes and she returned to her new habit of visually assessing him. Her gaze made uncomfortable and he was tired of looking away when their eyes caught.

The next time her hot gaze settled on him, he stared boldly back. He said in a ragged voice, "If you don't stop that, I'm not sure I can be held responsible for my actions anymore."

"I… stop what?"

Sometimes her lack of social skills was endearing, but right now he found it frustrating. "If you don't stop looking at me like I'm a puzzle to be figured out, I might think that you were flirting with me and decide to do something about it. It's been driving me crazy for weeks."

"Oh." A pensive expression crossed her face, as if she were cataloging the new information, and a moment later her gaze snapped backed to his. She had fallen in love with him a long time ago. He was a reliable and steady guy. She couldn't let her fears keep her from living. She might not always like it, but change was inevitable. Maybe this time she should be a catalyst for a positive change. In an instant, all the contemplation of the past weeks gave way to a decision. She gave him a sidelong glance and raised an eyebrow.

He watched her in shock. Had she done that on purpose? It didn't really matter. He'd warned her…

In a second, she was in his arms and he was kissing her, gently but hungrily. He tasted coffee on her lips. Some part of him must have expected her to resist, because he was surprised when she kissed him back with intensity.

He felt like he could kiss her forever, but pulled away because he really didn't want to push the envelope too much.

"Why did you stop?" she asked breathlessly.

Distractedly, he ran a hand through his hair. "You finally made up your mind."

It was a statement, not a question, but she replied anyway. "Yes."

"I think I need a little time to adjust," he admitted, still a bit breathless from their kiss. In the space of thirty seconds she'd gone from 'hands' off' to 'ravish me now,' if he was reading her correctly.

She considered pointing out that certain parts of him apparently didn't need any time, but he was uncomfortable talking about sex with her and for once she decided to hold her tongue.

"So what do we do now?" she asked uncertainly.

"We finish our walk."

Conversation was sparse, but he reveled in the simple pleasure of holding her hand and enjoying a quiet moment in her presence.

Twenty minutes later, he pulled his hand from hers as they emerged to face the real world. Something special was happening between them, and neither was ready to share it with a third party.

On the drive back, she asked curiously, "What did you mean when you said you needed time to adjust? I thought you wanted this to happen."

He glanced at her a moment before returning his eyes to the road. "Believe me, I do. But after a couple of years of holding back…" He paused, uncertain how to explain what he was feeling. "Besides, I want to enjoy the normal things in a relationship: holding hands, stealing kisses, and going on dates. There's no need to rush."

"We do things together all the time, Booth. And it's not like we need to get to know each other."

He smiled at that. "You know some of my secrets; I know some of yours."

"And you've met my family, you know how I like my coffee…"

"That doesn't mean I know everything about you, or that we won't enjoy going on dates."

She acceded to his expertise as she climbed out of the car. "You're the one that knows about relationships. I'll call you when we have more details on the case."

"I'm taking you out on a date tonight. Be ready at 7:30."

"Bossy much, Booth?"

The smile on her lips belied her words and he couldn't help but laugh.

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She walked the halls of the Jeffersonian, hoping to avoid attention. With a sigh of relief, she walked into her office.

"Late night, sweetie?"

She jumped. "Ange! You scared me."

"You're late today, Bren, and you're never late!"

Brennan shrugged and schooled her features to a normal expression.

"And you look happier than you have in a long time."

Giving up, the anthropologist allowed herself the smile that she was feeling.

"Please tell me you're smiling because something good happened between you and your super sexy partner."

Thinking about their date, her smile grew wider.

"You are!" Angela crowed in satisfaction. "I need the details. How was it? What did you do? Was the sex fabulous?"

She glared at her friend. "We did not have sex. He took me on a date. He strung lights all around that little grove in the garden and set up a table in the center." She paused, remembering how beautiful it had looked. She might not be a romantic, but she could still appreciate beauty and the effort he'd made. "We ate dinner and then danced and talked for hours."

She intentionally neglected to tell her friend about the necklace he'd bought her, although she was wearing it. He'd found a large locket, black with silver filigree. He'd put a picture of the two of them in it and told her that the second half wasn't empty, but that it was impossible to see the part of his heart he'd put in it for her to keep. It was kind of sappy, but she rather liked the idea.

"So what changed? We talked about this not too long ago, and you were both still giving me the 'partners only' spiel."

"We've been moving to this point slowly for the past several years. You were rushing things. We've had means and motive; we finally decided to take the opportunity."


End file.
